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Monday, December 20, 2010

Let's be honest, my top 10 singles of the year could have looked a bit like this :

1. Scissor Sisters -Invisible Light

2. Robyn - Dancing On My Own

3. Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way

4. Robyn - In My Eyes

5. Robyn - Include Me Out

6. Robyn - None Of Dem

7. Robyn - Love Kills

8. Robyn - Indestructible

9. Robyn - Fembot

10. Robyn - Criminal Intent

OK, it wouldn't have been very fair for all the awesome pop acts that made this year so great music-wise. With the confirmation of a few revelations of 2009 (Marina, Hurts, Julian Perretta…) some fantastic newcomers (Bright Light Bright Light, Tove Styrke, Van Go Lion, Florrie, Alex Gardner…) and the never disappointing oldies but goodies (Scissor Sisters, Kylie, Sophie Ellis Bextor…).

But the real winners of the year have to be ballsy, kinda indie and boundary-pushing female popstars who give all the well-established sluts and singing atrocities like Rihanna, Katy Perry or Ke$ha a run for their money, both creatively and musically. I can't even begin to understand why Robyn, Marina, Adele, Sophie or Janelle aren't the huge popstars they deserve to be. At least they're not corrupted by easy, ready-to-swallow stinky tracks that please the tired ears of the masses.

Let's just hope there will still be some space for these artists to grow and be able to make more records in the future. In the meantime, roll on 2011!

Friday, December 17, 2010

As I'll be publishing my top 30 tracks of the year next Monday, I thought I'd give you a little preview... Well not really. While it was really difficult to list the tracks I've loved and been listening to extensively during the year, it proved quite easy to pick a few tracks that have been bothering me.

Oh yeah, some atrocious song made their way to the top of the charts and here's a little peak at what we've had to deal with in 2010. Watch your ears!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Taken from the bands new EP Dust It Off (out Dec 13) and a few months before their second album, The Do are back with an upbeat, very M.I.A.-esque banger called Slipper Slope. Along with a great video, the song is infectious and irresistible. Welcome back!

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

This song is still climbing my 2010 personal chart, as every play makes it even better. And believe me I've played A LOT it over the last few weeks. Now the video is here, and boy it's beautiful. Adele's not up to much but the visuals are clever and adds even more soul to the track. As if it were possible.

Scissor Sisters - Invisible Light

We already knew this song is absolutely incredible (even more so when performed live), now we get to discover that its video takes it to another level. Never where you expect them to be, the Scissters have made a totally WTF and NSFW mini-movie feauring a girl being bombarded with mud, a baby wolf getting its head cut off and a lot of other nice stuff of that kind. As usual, the band surprise us, and thrill us with their unsual aesthetics. A total win as far as I'm concerned.

Brigitte - Battez-Vous

Brigitte is one of the few revelations of the year that has totally won me over. The duet's sense of style and visuals coupled with their perfect and sophisticated pop song hit all the roght buttons, and after seing them live a few weeks ago for what conts as one of my favourite shows of the year, I can safely say I'll be following them very carefully in the coming months. This is their latest video, for the very awesome Battez-Vous. If you don't understand french you won't be able to get the cheekyness and quality of the lyrics, but it shouldn't put you off. The best pop songs don't need any subtitles.

Just because I can't get enough of this incredibly precious artist, I wanted to share her performance at this year's Nobel Prize ceremony. Being one of Sweden's most valuable jewels it's only fair that she gets to show the world her talent. Don't forget to take a look at the videos of her recent Myspace Secret Show recorded live in London. One hour of pure electrobliss.